5 Beautiful Ballet Trailers You Need to Watch Now
We’ve said it before
and we’ll say it again: dance and film are made for each other. In the past couple of years, ballet companies have used the medium to promote new work, creating “trailers” that give beautiful peeks at upcoming premieres. These short films reach many people who are unable to see the ballets performed live—and they definitely debunk the misconception that ballet is boring. Here are five of our all-time favorites.
1. Justin Peck’s In the Countenance of Kings
Justin Peck + Sufjan Stevens + a rustic location + San Francisco Ballet’s beautiful dancers = the perfect trailer. The director, Ezra Hurwitz—a former dancer with Miami City Ballet—explained that he filmed several sections from the ballet and set them to different parts of the music, but the result feels effortlessly seamless.
2. Myles Thatcher’s Ghost in the Machine
This film features choreographer Myles Thatcher preparing for and rehearsing his new ballet. The propulsive Michael Nyman score creates a feeling of anticipation and excitement.
3. Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj0nltZOf50&t=2s expand=1]
Film a ballet trailer in an NYC subway station? Sure, Justin Peck can do that! This excerpt from his sneaker ballet—which features Peck and Robert Fairchild in a nonstop duet—seems to have more in common with tap than ballet, and it generated a lot of excitement for the ballet’s premiere.
4. “Now More Than Ever”
“Now More Than Ever,” also directed by Ezra Hurwitz, premiered on the opening night of Ballet Across America, and served as a promo not for a single ballet but for the festival as a whole. Choreographed by American Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo Gomes, it features ABT’s Stella Abrera, Isabella Boylston, Calvin Royal III, James Whiteside, and Gomes himself dancing all over the beautiful Kennedy Center.
5. New York City Ballet’s 2017-2018 Season
New York City Ballet’s videos are always genius. This trailer for the company’s whole 2017-2018 season, directed by Bon Duke, transports the viewer to another world.
